Work-life balance … or cold, hard cash?

The footballing world has been up in arms at some players moving to China to earn enormous salaries, while playing at a lower standard. To fans of the game, football is about as sacred as it gets – making eschewing one of the more established leagues in favour of a big money move to China a real act of treachery.

While the public may deride perceived money-grabbing, the fact is that people in most professions follow the money, with the forthcoming EMR Salary & Market Trend Report revealing that increased salary is the number one reason marketers change jobs. According to the report, 35% of marketers left their last position primarily because a better salary was on offer elsewhere. Improved remuneration trumped other popular reasons including a new challenge / more interesting work (32%), enhanced career prospects (28%), and more responsibility (18%). It seems that while professionals are increasingly focused on work-life balance and other issues in the modern age, money is still the number one motivating factor in changing roles.

Indeed, the outlook for jobs moves in 2016 is supported by positive economic conditions, with UK unemployment remaining at a 10-year low.  Employers, in this newly competitive jobs market, must therefore ensure they craft attractive packages to secure the best talent. However, while cash may be a significant draw, it is important that hiring teams recognise that the best offers are built on a variety of different features, and not just salary alone.

EMR’s 2016 Salary & Market Trend Report will be available from late-March 2016.